Abstract/Summary

Elevated soil available phosphorus (P) concentration can restrict attempts to restore high-quality, semi-natural vegetation. An increased P concentration or pH could derive either from natural successional processes or as a result of past agricultura; activity. Hoigh soil available P concentrations and, in the case of hathland, a high soil pH are major constraints to the establishment of heathland and species-rich chalk grassland communitites. here we describe the use of chemical soil ameliorants to reduce soil available P in both heathland and chalk grassland soils and to acidify heathland soils. Application of iron and aluminium sulphate and elemental S reduced soil pH and available P to provide a window of opportunity that might allow the establishment of hathland and chalk grassland communities